Apparatus for separation of vegetables



April 12, 1938. J. G. HEASLET APPARATUS FOR SEPARATION OF VEGETABLES 2 Sheets-Shet 1 Filed Oct. 16, 1934 BY q Fmd

J. G. HEASLET APPARATUS FOR SEPARATION OF' VEGETABLES April 12, 1938.

Filed Oct. 16, 1934 INVENTOR I Ta/Wes G. fleas /e7'.'

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 12, 1938 I 3 2,1

UNITED ST TES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR SEPARATION OF f VEGETABLES James G. Heaslet, Cleveland, Ohio Application October 16, 1934, Serial No. 748,526 2 Claims. (Cl. 209-120) This invention relates to a separator and, more zontal bottom frame I2. An inclined discharge especially, to a device for separating tubers and chute I1 is mounted above and secured to the other vegetables from admixtures of dirt and end portion of the'bottom frame l2; and, as will stones. One of the problems on large farms, parbe observed, vertical arms l3 and I9 are adticularly on those producing quantities of tubers justably fastened to the opposite sides of the I and other earth-embedded vegetables, is the harchute I! by means of'elongated slot and bolt convesting and separation therefrom of the quantinections 20 and 20'. The lower end of the chute ties of stones which are picked up by the digging I1 is also adiustably supported on depending side machines. This is especially true in digging pobraces 2i and 22. cooperating with elongated slot tatoes, for the plows or'digging fingers which and bolt connections 23 and 24. 10 excavate the potatoes also carry to the con- Journalled in side plates amxed to the side veyors of the conventional machines stones, frames l2 and approximately beneath in the trash, and the plant portions of the potatoes. center of the conveyor 2 is a transverse shaft 25.

The primary object of this invention is to One end of this shaft carries a sprocket wheel 26 construct a machine which will rapidly separate meshing with drive chain 21, the chain passing 15 the potatoes or other vegetables from the rocks over sprocket wheel 28 carried on an extension of and stones which are dug up with them. shaft 29 which supports upper conveyor drum 5. A further object of the present separator is to thus movement is imparted to the conveyor remove the vegetables from the admixture and belt 2. g0 convey them, regardlessof their size, to one de- In parallel alignment with shaft 231s an elego pository, while discharging in a second deposvated shaft 30, journalled in corner bearings itory all the refuse material. 3l-3l, the bearings being carried by horizontal In the drawings, Fig, 1 is a top plan view. parallel arms 32-32 and vertical arms 33-33. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly broken away The horizontal arms 32-32 extendrearwardly be- 5 to show the flexing of the separator fingers. tween the spaced parallel vertical angle irons Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section taken on line Ill-ii and l5-l6 and are amxed to an adjustable 3-3 of Fig. 2. carrier hereinafter described in detail, which is Fig. 4 is a fragmental section taken on line slidable along and between the pairs of vertical 4-6 of Fig. 2. angle irons ill-ii and l5-l6. As shown in Fig.

Fig. 5 is a fragmental section taken on line 1, the upper ends of these vertical angle irons as 5-5 of Fig. 1. are tied together by a pair of horizontal angle Fig. 6 is a detail of one form of resilient finger, members El i-34, between which is mounted a partly broken away. bearing block 35 carrying a screw-threaded shaft Fig. '7 is a modified form of spring finger. 36, fitted with a crank handle 31, and threaded 35 More specifically in the drawings, 9 is an inthrough a horizontal bar 38 which is carried in 35 clined chute discharging admixtures of tubers slot 39 formed in the side plates 46-43. Foland stones, vegetables and stones, etc., onto an lowers fli-fil, bolted to the side plates 40-43 endless conveyor belt 2 having a series of transthrough an elongated slot connection, keep the verse cleats 3 formed on its outer surface. The entire assembly in vertical alignment. This ar- 40 endless conveyor belt 2 is supported at its ends rangement constitutes an adjustable carrier for so over drums i and 5 journalled on suitable axles regulating the horizontal position of the arms and bearings to the side frames 6 and F. 32-32.

As shown in Fig. 2, the inclined side frames Positioned above the upper conveyor drum 5 are composed of angle irons ii and l secured at and journalled between the parallel arms 32-32 their lower ends to vertical uprights 8 and 3, is a hollow driven separator drum 42 having par- 4 and at their upper ends to vertical angle irons allel rows of resilient fingers 43 fastened to its ill and ii. The uprights 8 and 9 and the angle outer periphery. The separator drum is mountirons IQ and H are riveted to a horizontal reced on a shaft 44 which also carries drive sprocket tangular ground-engaging frame l2. Corner gus- G5 on one end thereof, power being applied to the set plates 53 and I6 tie the lower vertical upsprocket through endless chain 46. The chain rights 3 and ii to the horizontal frame 12 and is supported over a second sprocket 41 splined inclined side frames 6 and 'l. on the extension of shaft 30. A sprocket 48 is Slightly spaced apart from and parallel to the afllxed to the end of the shaft 30 and is driven vertical angle irons l0 and ii are similar angle by chain 49 carried over large sprocket 50 aflixed irons l5 and it, also rigidly secured to the horito the 'end of the bottom shaft 25. The shaft 25 55 receives power from any suitable source, not shown, and through the chain drives previously described, supplies power to the conveyor belt and separator. it should he noted that this arrangement rotates the separator drum at a somewhat higher rate or speed than the conveyor r 1- are rotated.

Side boards iii are mounted on the side frames (3 and l to confine the material on the conveyor belt. At their upper ends the side frames are continued downward at 62 and bridge the space or gap between the upper end oi the conveyor belt and the discharge chute.

as disclosed in Figs. 5, 6, and l, the resilient separator fingers may be constructed of rubber or they may he in the form of coil springs. Fig. 6 illustrates the construction when the fingers are screw-threaded into the separator drum. Here the rubber finger 353 is vulcanized onto a knurled cone 58 which forms an extension on the hexagonal headed screw 543.

In Fig. 7 the coil spring fingers E35 are welded or brazed to a cylindrical extension ht! iormed on the hexagonal headed screw 5?. Fig. 5 shows molded ruhher fingers 56 provided with flared flanges and ti bearing on the inner and outer surfaces of the separator cylinder 62.

Operation As an admixture of tubers, trash, stones, etc.,

is dumped into the chute l, the mass falls upon the endless conveyor 2 where it is moved upwardly and comes in contact with the parallel rows of resilient fingers on the separator drum 32. The

' difierence in the objects to be separated permits the flexed resilient fingers to throw or project the potatoes or other vegetables from the end of the conveyor into the discharge chute it. On the other hand, the rocks, trash, etc., respond differently to the impact force exerted by the resilient fingers and cannot be thrown over to the chute 87, but fail in the gap or space between the end of the conveyor and the discharge chute. Aside from the difierent frictional contact set up in the resilient fingers by the tubers and stones, there is also the difference of their relative specific weights.

To insure proper separation an adjustment can be secured, which takes care of the general sized potatoes to be separated, through handle ill and screw 88. This adjustment determines the closeness to which the ends of the resilient fingers pass over the upper end of the conveyor.

In practical demonstrations it has been found that the present apparatus will expeditiously and economically separate tremendous quantities of admixtures of stones and tubers. The machine is practically unfailing in its separation and there is an infinitesimal loss by reason of damage to the potatoes.

What I claim is:

1. An apparatus for separating stones from tubers, including a conveyor for moving a mixture of stones and tubers and means for continuously beating the said mixture While supported on said conveyor with a plurality of rotating resilient fingers projecting radially from a rotating drum to thereby project difierent portions of the mixture in accordance with their specific gravlties, the said fingers being oi such resiliency as to project the stones contained in the mixture a lesser distance than the said fingers project the tuhers therein.

2. An apparatus for separating admixtures of tubers and stones which includes an incline conveyor on which said admixtures are deposited, a tuber chute spaced from said conveyor by an open gap, a rotary drurn mounted adjacent the end of said conveyor, a plurality of resilient Kingers attached to and projecting iroxn the outer surface of said drum, the said fingers being of such resiliency as to project the tubers and stones from the highest portion of the conveyor and rotating the said drum at a rate suficient to permit the said resilient fingers to create an impact suitficient to project the potatoes over the said gap and insumcient to project the stones thereover.

J G. HEASLET. 

